In law enforcement, military, hunting and many first responder situations, concealed or hidden knives or other tools are often desired for numerous reasons. During the arrest of a violent suspect, an officer's personal safety may be jeopardized. For example, many officers encounter resistance when a suspect attempts to forcibly remove an officer's firearm and use it against the officer. According to FBI statistics gathered over the past 20 years, approximately 15%-20% of officers murdered in the line of duty, are killed with their own firearm. In order to prevent the threat of a suspect gaining control of their firearm, officers are trained to retain/trap the firearm in the holster using their “strong side hand” and defend against the attack using their “support side hand”.
Similarly, when hunting, situations may arise where a hunter requires quick and ready access to his or her knife or other emergency object in order to maintain personal safety. Similarly, when skinning deer or other animals, having quick access to the skinning tool is desired. Additionally, first responders such as paramedics utilize apparatuses similar to holsters on their utility belts. Many times they have only seconds to respond to a given situation.
For these reasons, improvements in the technology for securing knives during use is desired.